Ocean, nature, critters, and recreation

May 2012

May 31, 2012

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: Is it legal to dive for scallops at night? I have found in the regulations where it says that clams may not be taken at night but I cannot find regulations that apply to scallops. Can you help? (George B., Newport Beach)

Answer: Yes, you may dive for scallops at night. The restriction on digging for clams at night does not apply in this situation. The regulations you are looking for are covered under the General Invertebrate provisions in the California Code of Regulations, Title 14, section 29.05, which states in part, "Except as otherwise provided in this article there are no closed hours for any invertebrate."

Q: I am a license agent and last year just two days before the waterfowl season opened, a longtime customer of 25 years came into my store to purchase his license. He had experienced a fire in his home the previous summer and had lost some possessions, including his hunting license evidence. I explained that DFG doesn’t accept declarations any more, and I couldn’t sell him a license. I know he had taken the hunter safety course in the past, and hunted since he was a teenager. What would have been the best course of action for the hunter and a license agent in this situation? What can other longtime experienced hunters do if they find themselves in a similar unfortunate situation? When will DFG accept declarations again? (Kevin Jeffs, Jeffs Sporting Goods, San Gabriel)

A: It is unlikely that declarations will be accepted again. However, according to DFG Sport Fishing/Waterfowl/Upland Game Program Analyst Glenn Underwood, there may be something we can do for hunters in this situation. If he applied for waterfowl or big game drawings in the past, we may have his information in our drawing database. The hunter should contact DFG’s License and Revenue Branch at (916) 928-5805 and explain what happened. If they can find proof that he had a hunting license in the past, they can update his hunter education status in the database and he will be able to again purchase a hunting license.

Q: My uncle recently passed away and left me in charge of his estate. One of the items he left is a full size Cheetah/ Leopard taxidermy. Is it legal for me to sell it? If not what do you recommend that I do with it? (Michael C., Modesto)

Anglers aboard the Royal Star on Wednesday made the first major bluefin tuna haul of the 2012 San Diego long-range season.

Skipper Tim Ekstrom gambled after leaving Alijos Rocks, west of Baja California, and ventured far offshore in an attempt to find the prized tuna, which typically begin to show off Baja in late May.

The move was successful and the vessel was alone over the schooling fish, which was an unusual surprise given that airplane spotters are quick to locate schooling bluefin for purse seine vessels, which are then quick to scoop up the precious cargo.

Ekstrom stated in his website report: "Feast your eyes on today's photos and reminisce about days of old; the days when we targeted vast quantities of quality offshore Bluefin less the flying circus that has annihilated the fishery since.

"Today there were no boats, no pens, no planes, just us and a whole sea of opportunity to ourselves. We didn't score big in numbers but in significance and relative proportion we made a big score."

The score was 24 bluefin averaging 60-75 pounds, with one weighing 106 pounds.

Pictured at right is Shimano team angler John Kuch, who is credited with making the first bluefin catch aboard the Royal Star. (Danny Lynch caught an 18-pound bluefin last Saturday aboard the Sea Adventure 80.)

Ekstrom continued: "Let's hope that many like this will be filling sport anglers' sushi platters from this point on."

A green alert does not imply impending danger for tourists or nearby residents. In fact, the Tico Times is reporting that all three volcanoes remain open to the public, but with possible restrictions.

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) stated that the alerts were "supported by reports from technical and scientific agencies that note the volcanoes are in constant activity."

Turrialba, about 35 miles east of the capital city of San Jose, is under a higher "yellow" threat level, according to the National Seismic Network. Yellow signifies elevated unrest above a known background level of activity.

Bag limits are set in order to maintain healthy fisheries. Unfortunately, some anglers fail to grasp that concept, or just don't care.

Chien Van Tran, of Otsego, was charged recently with exceeding his limit by 413 sunfish and 30 crappies. If convicted Tran faces up to a year in jail, a $3,000 fine, and the loss of fishing privileges for three years.

The angler was approached at Minnesota's Pelican Lake by warden Rick Reller. According to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources news release, Reller spied Tran placing a bag of fish in a locked compartment of his boat before attempting to leave the lake.

When approached, according to Reller, Tran produced a cooler containing about a dozen panfish.

After questioning, Tran admitted that there were more more fish on the vessel. The tally was 134 sunfish and 19 crappies. The daily possession limit is 20 sunfish and 10 crappies.

This led to a visit to Tran's home. Inside the freezer, Reller stated, were 11 bags containing 299 sunfish and 21 crappies, bringing the total number to 413 sunfish and 30 crappies over the limit.

“I told Mr. Tran that I would be seizing all the fish," Reller said. "I also advised him that I was seizing his boat, motors, trailer, and fishing license as part of a gross misdemeanor over limit of fish."

May 29, 2012

The helmsman aboard a racing yacht may have averted disaster by swinging the vessel to the starboard moments before it struck a large whale in its path.

Roberto "Chuny" Bermudez was guiding CAMPER swiftly across the Atlantic during the seventh stage of the Volvo Ocean Race when the whale surfaced just off the bow. (Viewers can see the whale eight seconds into the video, and in slow-motion at 23 seconds.)

Media crew member Hamish Hooper stated Tuesday on the race website:

"With reflexes like a cat he narrowly missed what could have been the equivalent of a runaway freight train colliding with a truck. We were doing just over 20 knots and all of a sudden the boat lurched to starboard, just staying in control.

"Nico (skipper Chris Nicholson) popped his head up to see Chuny looking as if he has just seen his life flash before his eyes. I think he had. It would have been seriously bad for both the whale and us."

The seventh of nine stages of the around-the-world race is from Miami to Lisbon, Portugal. CAMPER is in fifth place.

It's that time of year when gray whales have passed Southern California and more sociable humpback whales teem in the nutrient-rich Santa Barbara Channel. And for whale watchers these past several days have been remarkable.

Photographer/naturalist Bernardo Alps reported after Sunday's excursion aboard the 75-foot Condor Express: "The Condor Express was mobbed by humpback whales. As if to show that they missed our visits to their feeding grounds, several humpbacks came right over to us as soon as we arrived and started surfacing all around the boat. They surfaced on the stern, at port and starboard but mainly in front of the bow, often so close that they must have been touching the hull. You had to be right up against the rail and look down to even see the whales.

"There was so much activity all around the boat that it was impossible not to miss some of it. I was looking at a pair of whales throwing their heads up high a few feet off the port bow when someone yelled "breach!" followed immediately by "double breach!!" I missed those but saw some of the other breaches. There were several dozen humpbacks stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. No single whales; all pairs and small groups, constantly separating and joining."

On Monday the Condor Express reported: "At one point we had a Humpie slap its pectoral fin on the water for many many minutes, whilst its smaller companion treated us to some breaching and chin slapping. A few tail-lobs were thown in just to be sure all the guests on the Condor Express were directing their attention at the cetaceans putting on the spectacular show."

Gray whales, although a reliable presence during peak periods of their annual winter-spring migration from the Arctic to and from Baja California's lagoons, are not boat friendly during their travels.

Humpback whales, which are known to be extremely boat friendly, have arrived in the channel to prey on shrimp-like krill and small fish. They're likely to stick around for a couple of months, perhaps longer.

Whale watchers can also expect more blue whales to begin arriving in the channel, and perhaps off Los Angeles and Orange County.

Blue whales are the largest creatures ever to have inhabited the planet, reaching lengths of up to 150 feet and weighing to 150 tons.

It's with these majestic creatures in mind that the American Cetacean Society/Los Angeles Chapter has scheduled its annual Summertime Blues all-day whale-watch trip for June 30, aboard the Condor Express out of Santa Barbara. The longer time on the water almost guarantees sightings of whales and other mammals. The trip is from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.. Cost is $109, or $99 for ACS members. However, those who sign up before June 5 will save $5. For details visit the website or call 424-266-0516.

The high-speed Condor Express is the only vessel to make daily forays to the Santa Barbara Channel's offshore feeding areas specifically in search of whales. It's 4.5-hour trips cost $105, or $55 for children.

May 25, 2012

Last Sunday about 180 bales of marijuana, weighing about four tons, were discovered floating off Dana Point.

On Thursday a Department of Fish and Game warden found a 30-foot skiff on the beach north of Morro Bay, and after following footprints in the sand he discovered 22 bales of marijuana (pictured).

Interestingly, in the first discovery, about 15 miles offshore, a boat was not found. Could the skiff -- a panga like those used by Mexican fishermen -- be the same vessel that lost the four tons of pot?

Perhaps not. That might have been too large a load to fit onto a 30-foot boat.

But inside the panga were several barrels containing more than 400 gallons of fuel for the outboard engines, and between Sunday and Thursday the speedy vessel, conceivably, could have made it to Central California.

In any event, it seems there's a lot of drug-running going on these days off California, so boaters and fishermen should be alert.

A 13-foot alligator captured this week in a park pond on South Carolina's Hilton Head Island must have been suffering from a severe case of indigestion.

Inside the gator's stomach were a soccer ball, 53 fishing lures, several lead sinkers, two baseballs, a tennis ball and two other balls that were partially digested and impossible to identify.

That's just the sports equipment. There also was a smaller alligator, two turtles, a beer can and 48 rocks.

The gator was killed because it had "snapped up the soccer ball at the water's edge and could easily snatch a dog or a small child," Mark Carinus, a trapper with Critter Management, explained to the Island Packet.

Carinus added that the large reptile could not be relocated because of its propensity to eat other gators.

May 24, 2012

A hurricane warning was issued from Manzanillo north to Cabo Corrientes (just south of Puerto Vallarta). Such warnings typically are issued 36 hours before hurricane conditions are expected to reach a certain area.

Hurricane force winds are expected to materialize on the mainland coast, within the warning area, by Friday afternoon. But dangerously strong winds are expected to arrive Friday morning.

Heavy rain is expected in the states of Michoacan, Colima, Jalisco and southern Nayarit. Rainfall accumulations could surpass 8 inches in places.

At the time, Bud was located 170 miles southwest of Manzanillo, and expected to reach land sometime late Friday at hurricane strength.

Interestingly, Bud's surge in strength comes on a day in which NOAA predicted a "near-normal" season for the Eastern Pacific, calling for between 12-18 named storms and between 5-9 hurricanes. Between 2-5 of those storms were expected to be major hurricanes, of Category 3 strength or higher.

Bud is the season's first hurricane and he materialized somewhat early. Peak storm activity in the region, off western Mexico, is July through September.

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: I was hiking on public land and came across a dead elk carcass that had been there a while and still had a huge rack attached to the skull. I know it’s legal to pick up shed antlers, but what about if they are still attached to the skull of an old elk carcass? Would it be legal for me to take the antlers? (Matt, Hollister)

Answer: There is no provision in the Fish and Game Code prohibiting someone from picking up a set of antlers attached to a skull and carcass found on public land. However, this would likely appear suspicious to a game warden. Anyone who chooses to do so should be aware that pursuant to Fish and Game Code, section 2000, possession of any part of a fish or mammal in or on the fields, forests or waters of this state while returning therefrom with fishing or hunting equipment is prima facie evidence the possessor took that fish or mammal.

Q: Can sport fishermen who are fishing crab traps and/or hoop nets use winches to assist in pulling the gear?

A: There are no regulations prohibiting the use of manual winches by sportfishers to assist in pulling crab traps or hoop nets. Use of power-driven winches is prohibited north of Point Arguello, but there is an exception for handling crab traps or nets (see CCR Title 14, section 28.70.)

Q: If my junior hunter is only 11 years old right now but his birthday is before opening day of the junior deer tag, may he apply for it now even though he is 11? He will be 12 on the day of the hunt? (Shawn R.)